Crops for the Future

CropWatch News

		Stripe Rust in Wheat Early in the season stripe rust can appear more as blotches rather than as stripes. With cool wet conditions, scouting is recommended for it and other wheat diseases. More
Field Peas Get a Start In western Nebraska a co-op and group of growers committed to field pea production this year with an eye on long-term growth of the crop and related processing.  More

 May 10, 2013

Wheat Production

• Stripe Rust Confirmed in Wheat in Southeast Nebraska. On May 7 stripe rust was confirmed in research plots at the UNL Agricultural Research and Development Center near Mead. Weather conditions are currently favorable for rapid development and spread of this disease. Fields should be scouted regularly.
• Nebraska Winter Wheat Crop Smallest Since 1944. Forecast at 42.9 million bushels with an average yield of 33 bu/ac, down eight bushels from 2012.

Corn Production

• Imbibitional Chilling Injury of Corn. What happens when a corn seed imbibes cold water in the first 48 hours after planting.

Alternative Crops

• Panhandle Growers, Co-op Developing Yellow Field Peas as a New Crop. A western Nebraska co-op signed contracts for approximately 25,000 acres of yellow field pea production, offering growers a new production and processing option.

Dry Beans

• Planting for Direct Harvest of Dry Beans — Some Do's and Don'ts. Creating a level surface, planting select varieties, and taking other steps at planting can help you maximize yield with direct harvesting.

Pesticide Safety

• Tips for Pesticide Application and Safety (featuring how-to videos).
• Spraying? UNL Coordinates Statewide Pesticide Container Recycling

Alfalfa & Forage Production

• Scout for Alfalfa and Clover Leaf Weevils in Alfalfa. While cool temperatures delayed initial development, as temperatures warm up expect to find them first in southern Nebraska.
• Assessing Freeze Damage to Alfalfa
• State Again Facing a Water Divide: Consider Advice Accordingly. Recommendations for eastern Nebraska, where soil water is improving, often won't be as viable for western Nebraska and vice-versa.
• Pre-Season Irrigation May be Warranted in Some Alfalfa Fields

Water Management

• Early Season Soil Moisture Measurements in Central Nebraska. Measurements taken at 18 sites in central Nebraska in early April found soil moisture deficits to be common.

Mobile APPs

• National Corn Growers Association Offers IRM App. Select your Bt product from a menu and enter your field data for recommendations on creating a refuge for your operation.

AgNews

• Predicting Groundwater Trading in the Upper Republican NRD. In this Cornhusker Economics article, two UNL researchers examine formal trading and within-pool water transfers using 30 years of data from the URNRD.

Market Journal

• Market Journal: Farm Mangement Expert Analyzes Bottom Line Differences for a drought year when the availability of irrigation water made all the difference.

IANR & Extension Resources

• UNL Wind and Solar Energy Field Day May 18 near Concord
• Just Getting Started in Farming? New Farm Beginnings® Program Offers Training and Support
• 2013 High Plains Cropping School to Focus on Sugarbeets
• New Ag Publications from UNL Extension

Water for Food Conference

The theme of this year's Water for Food Conference, "Too Hot, Too Wet, Too Dry: Building Resilient Agroecosystems," drew nearly 500 experts from around the world to discuss how to overcome the urgent challenge of growing more food with less water. Follow the speakers and presentations day by day: 

• Ray and Neale Bring Expertise to Robert B. Daughtery Water for Food Institute
• Experts: Transforming Scientific Knowledge into Ag Practices, Policy is Essential
• Climate Change Impacts Already Being Felt Worldwide
• Water for Food Speaker Calls for Action, Sharing Solutions
• See the conference website for further information.

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